The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-02-24
pesrRvorloN or sopoM.

DESTRUCTION OF soDoM.
Internationsi sunday-sehool Lesson sus
February ~. 1887.
Especially arranged from 8. 8. QuarteriyT
Gen. 10:16.28; commit verses 16, 10.
IL. And whom the morning arose, then the an.
gels hastened Lot, saying: Arise, take thy
wife, and thy two daughters, which ere here;
city.
10. And while he fingered, the men laid hold
upon his hand, and upon the hand Of his wife,
and upon the hand Of his two daughters; the
Lord being merciful unto him; and they
brought him forth, and set him without the
city.
II. And II came TO pass, when they had
brought them forth abroad, that He said: Es.
cape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither
stay thou in Gil the plain; escape to the mount
Gin, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them: Oh, not 90, my
Lord;
10 Behold now, Thy servant hath found grace
| In Thy sight, and Thou hast magnified Thy
mercy, which Thou hast showed unto me in
saving my life; and can not escape to the
mountain. lest some evil take me, and I die;
20. Behold now, this city Is near TO fee unto,
and It Ia . little one. Oh, let me escape thith-
| er, Us II not little oneO and my soul shall
| live.
u. And He said unto him: See, I have 60
| cepted thee concerning this thing also, that
will not overthrow this city, for the which thou
| hast spoken.
%. Haste thee, escape thither; for I can not
do any thing till thou be come thither. There.
| fore the name Of the city was called zoar.
70. The sun was risen upon the earth when
| Lot entered into Zoar.
"a. Then the Lord rained upon sodom and
| upon Gomorrsh birthstone and fire from the
| Lord out of Heaven;
i on Ana IJo nvarth..~ +hoso o,%,o. AVA Al, ,no
plain, and all the Inhabitants Of the cities, and
| that which grew upon the ground.
26. But his wife looked back from behind him,
and she became pillar Of salt.
TIME-B. G. 1897 The morning after the
last lesson.
PLAcE-Sodom and the cities of the plain.
The CITIES OF THE PLAIN were five (14:2;
Deut. 29:33); Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah,
Zeboim and Zoar.
LOCATION OF SoDoM-There are two opin-
ions l. Till Of late the general opinion
was that the plain was at the southern end
Of the Dead Sea. About one-third Of the
distance from the southern end Is O long
peninsula, running nearly across the sea.
North Of this the sea is 1,2OO feet deep;
south Of 1t, only 8 to IS feet Deep This
southern bay, about fifteen miles along, is
supposed to have been fertile plain and
the site Of the cities destroyed at this time,
but now sunk beneath the water. 2. The
best scholars now regard the plain as situ-
ated at the northern end Of the Dead Sea,
near the mouth Of the Jordan.
INTRoDUCToRr-Thet two angels who left,
Abraham went the same evening to Sodom,
where Lot was sitting in the gate He well
coined the two men to his home, but they
were assaulted by the Sodomites The
angels afflicted them with blindness. This
may have made Lot know they were angels
with Gods message. They told him that
Sodom would be destroyed. He went to
his sons-in-law and warned them; but he
was to them as one that Knocked. ....
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs-15. The an
gels hastened Lot: the danger was very
great. II. To the mountain: the Moabite
mountains, that rise abruptly on the east
side Of the sea- 10. I can not escape to the
mountain it was at some distance; he was
old, with women under his care; the mount
am was wild, and infested with wild
beasts, and perhaps with robbers. 20.
This city: Zoar (Litte), among the foot
hills. 81. have accepted: God heard his
prayer, although it was foolish prayer,
and Lot soon left the place ". 3O). God
knew better than he.
Lor's EscAPE-Lot was saved 30 as by
fire, but he lost every thing for the sake Of
which he had gone to Sodom. His wife
and some Of his children were destroyed |;
/ tlC OtucTb "0EO COutAuluStcus Auu yct uO
doubt 1t was largely for their sakes that he
had pitched his tent toward the fertile
fields Of Sodom He lost his home, his
flock and herds, and all his property. He
escaped, poor, forlorn, seemingly broken.
down man. The poorest investment he
ever made was in property in Sodom.
"a. RaiSed brinastone aud fire: {.
e., burning birthstone or bitumen; the word
includes both. Sodom was in an oil re-
gion. The soil abounded in petroleum and
; bitumen. With earthquake and lightning,
probably, God set this soil on fire, as some.
times occurs IN our oil regions. 26 His
WiJe looked back from 6shind him: she had
fingered behind the others, and was over
; taken by the flames. Pillar of salt: she
was probably incruste1 with the salts that
abound there, and looked like pillar or
mound.
WARNINGS TO BAcKsLIDERs-Backsli
begins with the heart, and then works out
into the life. The neglect Of secret prayer
and OF public worship, carelessness as to
the Sabbath day, trespassing ON the bor-
ders Of forbidden pleasures, verging to.
ward transactions Of doubtful honesty,
neglect Of Gods word. arc the frequent
beginnings of Q backslider's course.
ii GOLDEN TExT-Escape for thy life-Gen.
19:17. t5.l- +. -
CENTRAL TRUTH--n the righteous scarce
ly be saved, where shall the ungodly and
the sinner appear.
NEW TESTAMENT LIGHT ON OLD TESTAMENT
THEAEs-1. What warnings does Christ
found on this lesson3 luke II: $780,
Does the punishment Of sin usually come
upon men in . sudden and unexpected man.
neri How may we escapei Il Cor. 10: IL;
l6: 13; Eph. 9: 10, H. What passage in the
New Testament does Lots experience IL
lustratef Il Cor. 8: 11-15.) Q. What les.
son does Christ teach US from the fate of
Lots wifea luke II: 81, 49, What sol.
emn warning does Paul give to backsiidersl
(Heb. 9: 4-6) What warning Is given in
the last book Of the Biblel (Rev. 2: LAY
l, PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
l. Those who refuse to believe Gods
warnings must perish.
q The only way Of escape from the pun.
ishment Of sin is to forsake sin and 60 to
Christ
q Conscience, the Bible, the Holy Spirit,
friends. Providence, arc Gods angels warn.
ing u from sin.
4 Stay not In all the PLAIN, in good reso-
lutions, In religious forms, In leaving OF
open ain. in vague hODea